'Unique' 230-square-foot former garage with no running water sells for $165,000 in east end

After three weeks on the market, a 230-square-foot former garage in Toronto’s east end that was listed for $229,000 has been sold.

An investor, who is interested in working with an architect to develop the site and turn it into something unique, bought the tiny property for $165,000, said real estate agent Paul Vallis.

The detached residence near Coxwell and Danforth Avenues was a garage until the previous owner turned it into a private getaway. It has no running water and anyone wanting to live at 30 Hanson St. would have been forced to apply for an occupancy permit from the city.

“It was [a] strange and unique [process] because the property is so unique. It was hard for me to price it because there was no [comparison]. How do you price a property that doesn’t have anything to compare it to? So, it was a little difficult,” said Mr. Vallis, of Real Estate Homeward.

Related

The neighbourhood was a major selling feature, Mr. Vallis said. Proximity to the subway and the appeal of nearby Monarch Park helped the property garner plenty of interest.

While some visitors were simply intrigued by the cheap property’s cottage-like curb appeal, Mr. Vallis said the growing number of buyers looking to live in smaller spaces in the city worked to his advantage.

“There are a lot of people who want less: they don’t want big empty spaces that they have to clean. They want smaller places — and this is a little extreme, I must admit.”

“It was a fun listing; I really enjoyed it. I met so many neighbours, and I met so many different people: developers, builders [and] architects who all had different ideas,” Mr. Vallis said.

While he hopes the “character” of the Hanson Street garage isn’t destroyed, Mr. Vallis said he looks forward to what happens next with the property. “As long as it’s improved upon, I’m happy with that.”